Valentine's Blues
by MysticBluAngel
Summary: I know it's a little late for a Valentine's story but I didn't get to finish it. Anyway, this is a oneshot HB. Botan hates Valentine's more than anything but will this one change her mind?


**_Valentine's Blues_**

_I do not own YYH._

_HB Oneshot_

* * *

Everyone was holding hands, laughing, and blushing. Everyone had a special someone to share feelings of love. She sat alone on a bench, kicking snow with her booted feet. Her downcast eyes had watched far too much. Her pink lips, usually displaying a contagious smile, were curved down into a dejected frown. Her hands were itching to cover her face and disappear. The holiday for lovers never bothered her that much. However, her heart could only take so much lonliness. After spending time on Ningenkai, she realized how much she had been longing for companionship. A bittersweet smile graced her lips suddenly. She had always been so pure, never even thinking to feel jealousy or envy. 

"I hate them..." She whispered. It was so shocking, how she was able to feel such terrible things.

"So do I." She looked up in surprise to see Hiei standing next to her, looking really pissed and holding a red rose in a furious grip. "What the hell is the mater with them today?" She smiled, wanting to laugh at him but holding back. "Stupid fools, the lot of them."

"They are." She looked back down, not really wanting him to see the negative emotions flashing in her eyes. "Do you know what today is?" He said nothing so she presumed that he hadn't been informed by Kurama. "It's Valentine's Day, Hiei." He sat down next to her, his body heat instantly melting the snow. "It's a day for boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives, and lovers. It's a day to express love to those that you care for..." She trailed off wistfully.

"Useless emotions." He looked down at the flower. On his way back to his tree, some weird lady had given it to him. She had told him to 'give it to someone he loved, someone he cared for.' "This day is the same as any other. It's nothing special." She looked over when he stood up. "Anyway, why aren't you getting ready for that ridiculous party the others are attending soon? Aren't you going?" He didn't want to go but Yukina would be there.

"No." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't have anyone to go with." He could sense her misery. It was obvious that the day bothered her.

"Neither do I." It slipped out. He'd only meant to think about going because he wanted to continue the Baka Watch. Kuwabaka had been becoming bolder with Yukina and Hiei didn't like it. She looked over, figuring him out before even considering what he said as an invitation.

"They'll start to wonder, Hiei. Valentine's Day is about love. You can't expect to just walk in by yourself." She sighed. "There will be other ningens attending, you know." He snorted and tossed her the flower. She just barely saved it from falling into the snow.

"Whatever. They won't argue with me." He turned around left, leaving her to watch him walk away.

* * *

Her apartment was the only place where she didn't have to watch and envy everyone else. She had brought down paperwork from Reikai to do in her spare time. Three hours of paperwork was done in merely two, since she was without distraction. Getting up from her desk, she went into the bathroom to take a long hot bath before she retired to bed. 

_I can't wait until this holiday is forgotten about. All I want is to forget this day ever existed._

Her heart and body felt rejuvinated when she got out. Wrapping a towel around herself, she walked out, humming a soft melody to herself. Her room felt oddly chilly when she entered, but she shrugged it off, thinking it was just because she had just been in the bath. Picking out her pajamas, she prepared to dress.

"They wouldn't let me in." Botan let out a startled noise and turned around, facing an angry koorime. With a heated flush, she crossed her arms across her chest.

"You should've listened to me. I told you they wouldn't." He growled at her attitude, not liking her tone at all. "Anyway, don't waste both of our time standing there. I would like to get comfortable for the night so I can go to work in the morning." She stared at him, waiting for him to move. When he made no movement, she pointed a finger at the window. "If you didn't quite understand, I was asking you to leave."

"I'm not leaving unless you're going with me." The arrogance his voice contained was enough to get her angry. But before the emotion had time to register, the meaning of his statement sunk in.

"What?" He rolled his eyes before taking it upon himself to go through her closet.

"You should have something decent to wear. I saw the other women...they were all wearing these types of things..." Botan watched him go through her closet, never realizing how ridiculously funny it really was. "Do you have any clothes that aren't _hideous_?" She'd had enough when he picked out a dress that Ayame had given to her. It was a dark red and looked to go to her knees, hugging her figure before fanning out at the waist. It had long sleeves and a small cut that ended above her chest.

"Get out of my things, Hiei!" She ran over and snatched the dress away, anger burning in her eyes. "Don't you know it isn't proper?" He stared at her for a minute before realizing that the question she'd just voiced was serious. Of course he didn't know or even care, for that matter, what was proper. All he cared about was getting her dressed so that he could drag her with him to the party so that he could kill Kuwabara if he made a move on Yukina.

"Would you just get dressed already? The damn thing should be starting soon." The koorime was beyond frustrated with her. She looked down at the dress in her hands before placing it back in her closet.

"Why should I go to a party that I don't want to go to? Especially if the only reason I'm being asked is to prevent two people from actually getting to like each other? What do you think I am?" He glared at her as though she had mortally sinned. What he didn't get was why she was being so difficult. Normally, she liked attending parties with Yuusuke and the others. What was wrong with her? "I would appreciate it if you left." His crimson eyes met her amethyst ones.

"No, onna. I told you before that I was not leaving unless you were going with me." Finally, he'd had enough of fighting with her. "If you don't get dressed, you can go in that towel. I'm sure none of the guys there would mind it very much." He wasn't giving her an alternative. She was going whether she wanted to or not. Giving him a defiant glare, she stormed over to him, raising her hand as if to slap him. He didn't flinch, even when her hand slammed into his face. He was a demon, it didn't matter if she beat him with her oar. He would hardly be affected. "Are you finished?" The finality in his voice made her realize how ridiculously idiotic the situation was. _Hiei_ was forcing _her_ to go to a party. When had everything become so twisted?

"Why me, Hiei?" As she expected, he didn't answer her. He only turned around to give her some sense of privacy. Removing the dress from the closet, she walked over to her dresser, where her undergarments awaited. For some reason, Valentine's Day wouldn't end. The day she despised the most wouldn't leave her alone. She supposed she should have been grateful to Hiei for taking her out, even if it was only so he could watch over Yukina. Her eyes drifted to the rose he had tossed to her. It stood, a vision of perfection, a symbol of love, in a clear slender vase. Hiei had given her more than she'd ever had for the holiday, even if it was purely unintentional... Perhaps she should give him a favor in return.

* * *

The party had almost begun by the time Hiei got them there. He set her down before grabbing her hand and taking her up the steps. Her cheeks lit up in a brilliant flush. Her heart began pounding and it was harder to breathe. All she could focus on was their hands, joined by some unknown reason. Perhaps he thought she would run away and thus ruin his chances of going inside. 

"Back so soon, huh? Dumbass, I thought I told you-" The boy at the door stopped short when he noticed the young woman in the stranger's grasp. He sighed. It was obvious that she knew him, since she wasn't giving him a strange look. In fact, the look she seemed to be staring at him with was one of deep gratitude.

"And I told you that I would get inside without argument. Agreed?" The boy nodded dumbly, watching the pretty young woman follow him in without a word, tightly gripping onto his hand as though she were afraid that he would let her go. Botan felt uncomfortable the moment she entered the room. Why she had ever agreed to go in the first place... Hiei was about to let go of her hand when she grasped his even tighter. "Onna-"

"Just for tonight, Hiei..." Where she got the strength to plead with him, she had no idea. The words just left her mouth of their own volition. "Just for tonight, be my valentine." He didn't understand her words, of course. It took a few moments for the meaning to sink in. Just the sound of her voice was enough to hint at what she wanted from him. Desperation, pleading, and sadness. Not just sadness but almost to the point of emotional anguish. A tight frown formed on his lips and when she saw it, her hopes fell.

"Fine, onna. Just don't get used to it." She felt terrible for making him do something he didn't want to. But then she remembered that he had forced her there so it lightened the burden a bit. He looked around, crimson eyes searching for Yukina and the oaf. They weren't very hard to spot, since there weren't too many people there. That and Kuwabara was so tall...

"Thank you, Hiei." The softly spoken words made him shift his attention. Suddenly, he was aware that she wasn't at his side but was walking towards Kurama and Shizuru. He then noticed that she had left her hair down. It was like water, cascading down her back to meet the blood red dress. Her smile was back in place but anyone could see that it was forced. He heard the curious kitsune voice a question that he didn't care about. "Hiei brought me." There was no emotion in her statement. It was like she was telling them that the sky was blue. He merely shrugged before finding his way to the corner closest to his sister.

"He wanted to watch Kuwabara tonight, didn't he?" Kurama looked at the deity, noticing her forced mood. "You didn't wish to come, did you?"

"Am I that transparent?" She smiled before walking away from them, going to get herself a drink. She noticed Keiko and Yuusuke, the boy being his usual trouble-making self. Keiko looked ready to slap him silly, probably for his profane language. She thought she heard some nasty comments from him. No wonder the girl was so pissed off. Her eyes searched for Hiei, even though she had no wish to find him. His form was huddled miserably in the corner, his crimson eyes burning with anger. She wished she could see what he looked like when he wasn't angry or emotionless. If only she could catch a glimpse of him when he was asleep. She got him a drink and went over to give it to him. "You can't stand in the corner like that all night. You'll be far too noticable." The look he gave her made her angry with him. Why couldn't he be civil with her for just one night?

"What did you expect me to do?" His eyes went back to Yukina and Botan noticed a softness in his gaze. She found herself wishing that he would look at her that way.

"Communicate." He very nearly dropped the cup on the floor. "With me, at least. Make it look like a perfect lie." Her voice shook slightly as she spoke. He raised a brow. A perfect lie, huh? Well, he was up for a challenge. After a few moments of silence, she turned to look at him. "Why don't you like Kuwabara? He is pretty clear that his intentions of Yukina are pure. He would never cause her harm."

"He is an idiotic oaf and he is far too reckless." She knew that he had despised Kuwabara from the moment they met. However, after Hiei found out about Kuwabara's attachment to Yukina, the big ningen went from his hate list to his hit list. "He could hurt her." She felt herself grow angry.

"You're hurting her more than he ever could." It slipped out. There was no time to stop it once it left her lips. He gave her a sharp glare that made her really wish that she hadn't let her comment slip. "You're her brother, Hiei. All she wants is to be with you. Can't you understand that she really needs you?" He snorted.

"I don't need advice from anyone. Especially you." He was about to leave when she grabbed onto his arm and stared at him with pleading eyes. He felt like snarling at her but she looked like she wanted to say something.

_It had better be an apology._

"Everyone deserves a chance." It was anything but an apology. "She wouldn't judge you. And Kuwabara may be lacking a little upstairs but at least he has the courage to speak up and tell her how he feels. You can't run away any more. There's no where else to go." The angry glare he was sending her way seemed worse than the last.

"If I think about it, will you drop the subject?" A slight smile and a nod was all he needed to calm down. At least he wouldn't hear her nagging at him for the rest of the night about it. They both sat together on the floor. They were silent for a few minutes after. It wasn't the good kind of silence, either. It was awkward and long. Botan then gently rested her head against his shoulder without even realizing it.

"Onna?" He questioned her quietly, unsure of what she was doing. She quickly moved away, as though he had yelled at her. Feeling something akin to disappoint, he wondered what was wrong. She had been clear when she told him that she hadn't wanted to go. And he had dragged her along anyway, expecting her to listen to him and obey. He never once thought of paying her back for the obvious favor he had settled on her shoulders. With a silent sigh, he placed his hand over hers, remembering her earlier request. "Fine then, Botan. Tonight isn't about them. It's about us." He hadn't really understood the words but they seemed to fit. Not to mention that they had cleared up the deity's misery. He could watch but he wouldn't interfere with his sister's night.

"Hiei..." Her voice nearly broke at the suggestion his words carried. She leaned back against him, feeling just as secure as she felt scared. Why had he even said such a thing? Had his conscious gotten the better of him?

"I owe you for coming." His words were direct, not obscured by emotion. He had stated his reason, pure and simple. She felt sort of disappointed at his statement but it was better than nothing to her. For once, she wasn't alone. She wasn't sitting at home, pretending that Valentine's Day never existed. She wasn't outside, hating everyone for their happiness. Before she lost her courage, she found his hand and gripped it, feeling a longing to hold onto him forever.

* * *

She was disappointed that their night had to end as he entered her window and set her down. The party hadn't been terrible after Hiei had decided to be her valentine. A blush crossed her face when he hesitated to let her go. She flipped on a light and turned to look at him, noticing the way he was looking out the window. Before he had the chance to move, she embraced him tightly. He set one hand on her lower back and the other right above it. 

"Thank you." She whispered before pulling slightly away to press a chaste kiss to his lips. He stood still, unmoving as he stared at her with guarded crimson eyes. He said nothing as he let go of her. But still he remained, as though rooted to the spot. Botan thought that he looked like he was deciding on something. What was going through his mind? Before she could think anything else, she felt a slight pressure on her lips. Just as soon as she had felt it, it vanished and so had he. Bringing her fingers up to brush her lips, she smiled. "Hiei..."

Then, turning around, she left her window open to cool down the heat that was gathering in her face. She pulled off her dress and got into her night clothes, preparing for bed.

* * *

_Well, how was it? I know it's late for it but I didn't have much opportunity to finish it before now._

_Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed._

_-Angel_


End file.
